Allure of Swinging Attracts Fans of all Ages to Amura Ballroom Dance Studio

By Shiela Husting

Passersby walking past the floor-to-ceiling, glowing windows of the Amura Ballroom Dance Studio on Taraval Street can not help but peek at the scene inside. To the left, a mirror reflects firefly lights sparkling white against the ceiling, a dark wooden floor, and a carousel of swirling, straight-postured figures. In the center of the room men and women carefully rotate around the room, some hesitantly, some confidently, some gliding smoothly and then stumbling and starting again.

The dancers, teenagers and seniors and all ages in between, switch partners or pause to coach each other on their moves. Some wear T-shirts and jeans, others skirts and heels.

Inside the doors of Amura Ballroom Dance Studio are two dance floors which provide a unique opportunity in the San Francisco avenues. The floors are open to the community several times a week for group dance lessons, and daily for individual dance instruction.

At the heart of Amura is its owner Sedoris Ferguson, who often greets guests from behind the reception desk. The studio space previously existed as part of the Arthur Murray franchise for many years, where Ferguson used to be an instructor.

In October 2005 the franchise location closed and several months later, in May 2006, Ferguson took over the space from the previous owner, his friend and mentor Karen Shelley, who recently passed away.

"If you do for a living something you love to do, it all falls in line," Ferguson says.

Although some Amura students come regularly from other cities or districts, most live in the Sunset and Richmond neighborhoods. Quite a few work at UCSF and originally came to Amura due to the rave reviews of their coworkers.

"It is like a family," says Marilyn Chan, who lives in the Sunset and has been dancing at the studio for two years. "We all feel very comfortable and everyone cares about one another."

Fun and health are the benefits most enthusiastically mentioned at Amura.

Diane, a local resident who did not want to give her last name, cites the "entertainment, fun, health and social activities all in one" as her main reasons for dancing.

"It is good exercise," said Amy Keung, who has taken lessons at Amura since 2003. "I've lost two sizes since I learned dance. Dancing makes me so excited and happy."Ê

Swing, waltz, cha-cha, and even the hustle are taught regularly at Amura, and a drop-in salsa class is offered every Wednesday evening at 7:45 p.m. Group classes are often small, with no more than 15 students, and singles as well as couples attend regularly.

"It's a comfortable place to go on your own, to get to know new people and have fun. A lot of dance places are really only set up for couples, but Amura is so welcoming," said one solo flier at the studio. Children also take individual and group lessons, and in some classes, moms and dads can practice their ballroom steps on one dance floor while their tots learn to dance on the other.

In addition, the studio is also rented by the hour, both for private parties and to local teachers offering various classes, such as tap, belly dancing or yoga.

"I want a lot of dancing, working out, smiling people coming here because they want to better themselves," said Ferguson. "Even if they're just coming to have fun. Having fun is a way of bettering yourself."

Amura Ballroom Dance Studio is located at 1532 Taraval St. The phone number is (415) 682-2700, the e-mail address is amuraballroomdance@gmail.com, and the Web site is http://amuraballroomdance.com.

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